A/N: Okay. I haven't posted since around Christmas, which is totally unacceptable. I'm really, really, really sorry. You guys deserve a lot better than that. Today is Valentine's Day- by the way, Happy Valentine's Day!- and so I decided that, because I love you guys so much, I would pull myself together and just WRITE until I finished this chapter. I honestly don't know why, but this was a very difficult chapter for me to write and my writer's block did not help at all. But I'm not here to make excuses. IMPORTANT: In this chapter, it is very important to pay attention to the wording when Dillon speaks. I hope I conveyed it well enough, but the whole point of Dillon's character is to make Will feel powerless and worthless. Dillon holds Will in no special regards, and that is apparent in the way he talks to him. It will affect who he is and how he views himself.

Thank you a million times over to RosettaQueen20! Whenever I'm taking forever, review or PM me and yell at me, please. Chances are that motivation will get me going again. RosettaQueen20, this chapter is for you. I hope it was worth the wait, even if it is kind of short.

Warning: Verbal abuse. Nothing graphic, more allusions to it than anything, but that's what it is, no matter how hidden and cryptic it may appear.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson is not mine. I do not own any characters that you recognize. All rights go to Rick Riordan.

"What do you mean you're leaving for Tennessee tomorrow?!"

Will calmly explained- again. "I'm visiting my mom for Christmas. She already informed Chiron about it and bought me a plane ticket. I'll be back on New Year's Day."

"But it's dangerous! Will, we don't know what's going on with the Chimera and Ladon. You could get seriously hurt!"

"He'd more likely die," interjected Michael, ever the pessimist. "No one has survived its attacks yet."

"Michael!" scolded his sisters simultaneously.

Lee opted to ignore them. "Something bad could happen, Will. I understand that you want to see your mom again, but you have to consider your safety! I-" Lee swallowed, and his gaze turned anguished. "I couldn't bare the thought of losing you. I've already lost so many of my siblings. I refuse to let you die before me."

Will understood the pain Lee felt. He felt it, too. It was a very difficult thing, losing someone and then having to get on with life. You felt their absence with every fiber of your being. You find yourself looking at everyday objects that you wouldn't have given a second glance at before, but instead you are reminded of them and looking at that object becomes excruciatingly painful. You don't know how you could go on living. You think of how unfair life- and death- is. But it was necessary to move on, no matter how harsh it sounded. The world continued, and life continued, whether you wanted it to or not. "I know. But I won't be anywhere near the Chimera. Beckendorf already agreed to go with me to the airport to make sure I'd get on the plane safely. You can come, too, if you want. But I have to do this, no matter how dangerous you think it will be."

Lee stared at his brother for a long time. Finally, he sighed. "Obviously, you're not going to change your mind, and since you already asked Chiron and your mom bought you a ticket, I can't prevent you from going." Lee bent down so that he was eye level with Will and put a hand on his shoulder. "But I can, as your older brother, tell you that you better be careful. If you run into any kind of problem at all, Iris message me and we'll figure out a way to get you home that same day. Don't take any risks, okay?"

Will smiled at his big brother. "Thanks, Lee,"

"No problem, kid. And you better bet I'm coming with you to that airport."

Will turned around, about to start packing for his trip, when Michael called out to him. "Hey, Will? I have something for you to take on your trip, just in case you encounter a monster."

Will walked over to Michael. When Michael held out a dagger toward him, Will opened his mouth to argue that he wouldn't be able to use it, but Michael interrupted him. "I know fighting has never been one of your strengths," he began, "but take it just in case you get caught in a sticky situation. I'd offer you a bow and a quiver of arrows, but I think you might stand a better chance with a dagger. This one is enchanted. Apollo may be the god of healing, but he was also known for spreading diseases and plagues. Whomever you stab or cut with this dagger will become ill. So if you stab a monster, it will- at the very least- weaken them enough for you to escape. But you only get two uses out of it, so be careful to use it only in emergencies. I already used it once, and Dad said it would only work three times."

"Wait," Will said. "This is a gift from Apollo to you? And you want me to take it on my trip?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, the dagger has never been my kind of weapon, enchanted or not. I know for a fact that I'm not going to be on a quest for years yet, if I even ever go on one, so I won't be needing it. Besides, I'd still trust a bow and arrows more than a dagger. It would be a shame to let that knife go to waste, though, so I'm glad to give it to you for your trip. If it saves your life, then it will have done its job, and that will be good enough for me."

Will gave Michael a half smile. "Thanks,"

Michael ruffled Will's hair. "Don't mention it, bro. Now, go pack up."

"Now, remember: if any kind of problem arises at any time, Iris message me. I'll find a way to get you home safely. Be safe. Be careful. Feel free to contact me even of it's two in the morning. Just- just come home safely." Lee's voice nearly cracked, and Will had never seen him look more worried, save the times he was trying- but failing- to save a patient.

They were in the airport, and Will was about to board the plane. He was saying goodbye to Lee, but was struggling to find the words to convey to his brother that he would be alright. "I'll be okay, Lee. Really. And if I get in a really tight spot, I have the dagger Michael gave me."

Lee looked unconvinced, but he gave in nonetheless. He hugged Will for a full minute, whispering into his hair, "I'll see you soon. Don't tell Michael, but you're my favorite brother."

Will laughed at Lee's half-hearted joke and hugged him tighter before finally pulling away. It was time. "Bye, Lee."

"Bye, Will."

And Will got on the plane, ready to spend the holidays with his mother. Goodbye New York, hello Tennessee.

Will waited. And waited. This is where his mother told him to meet her after he got off his flight, but he didn't see her anywhere. Worry gnawed at his stomach. What if she changed her mind? What if she couldn't pick him up and he was stranded at the airport? Was this even the right airport? He checked the sign. Yeah, it was. So where was Mama?

"Are you Will Solace?"

Will turned around and saw a guy in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. He was fairly tall, around 6'2", and he had a very muscular build. His hair was a dark brown, and it appeared almost black. His eyes, however, were probably the most interesting thing about him. They were really quite a pretty grey-green color, with flecks of gold around the rims. Will mentally chastised himself. The man's eyes were cool, not pretty. Mama wouldn't like him saying something like that.

Will eyed the guy with uncertainty. "Uh, yes?"

The guy smiled, and he seemed pleasant enough, but Will still felt a bit of unease in the pit of his stomach. But maybe it was just Lee's words making him paranoid. Green Eyes approached Will and held out his hand. "I'm Dillon Goldstein, your mother's fiancé."

"W-what?" Will stuttered, shocked. Fiancé? When did that happen? He felt bad about it, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit of anger towards his mother. He hadn't even met this guy yet, and she had only known him for about eighteen months!

Dillon winced. "Oh. Naomi didn't tell you, did she?" Will shook his head. Dillon continued. "I'm sorry you had to find out about it like this, bud. But it'll be a good thing." Dillon suddenly smiled again. "Hey, your mom's out at a meeting with her record label. We should go do something, just the two of us. I'd love to get to know you better."

Disappointment gnawed at Will. "She's not here? She told Ch- my camp instructor that she'd pick me up from the airport. It was one of the few reasons my counselor let me come here."

"It was a last-minute meeting," Dillon was hasty to reassure him. "She would be here if she could be." But Will knew better. Sure, it was entirely possible his Mama had a meeting, but it wasn't last minute. In fact, it was probably planned months in advance.

"You don't have to lie to me," Will told Dillon. "I know her meeting was probably scheduled a while back."

Dillon seemed to be at a loss for what to say. Finally, he asked, "So, how about we get some ice cream? Would you like that, bud?"

Ignoring the- frankly annoying- nickname, Will nodded unenthusiastically. "Sure."

Even though Will protested, Dillon took his suitcase and the duffle bag Lee had lent Will from him. "I can carry them," Will insisted again.

Dillon just grinned at him, and he somehow managed to ruffle Will's hair. "Don't worry about it, bud. You're tired from the flight. I'm carrying your luggage."

It made Will feel a little useless. He knew it really shouldn't have, but that's how he felt nonetheless. They arrived at what Will assumed was Dillon's car, because it wasn't his mother's. Will climbed into the backseat as Dillon put his belongings in the trunk of the car. The trunk slammed closed, and Dillon climbed into the driver's seat. Will had already buckled his seatbelt and was waiting for Dillon to start the car. After a moment or two had passed and there was still no response from Dillon, Will said, "Uh, Mr. Goldstein?"

Dillon Goldstein sighed, than looked back at Will. "You should call me Dad," Dillon said.

Will blinked. "W-what?"

"You should call me Dad. I'll even call you son, if you'd like,"

"O-oh, I, um…" Will stuttered. "I think I'd prefer it if you just called me Will, and if it's alright with you, I'd rather I just called you Dillon or Mr. Goldstein."

Dillon shook his head, as if he was disappointed in Will. "Will, son, both 'Dillon' and 'Mr. Goldstein' are way too formal. I'm going to be your stepfather- actually, I'll be more like a father to you than your biological father was. You know what biological means, right, Will?"

Will was mildly offended. Just how dumb did this guy think he was? And while Apollo certainly had never even had the decency to meet Will, Will understood that his father had important godly things to take care of, and if they didn't involve him, than that was okay, because he had a cabin full of siblings who loved him enough to make up for his father's absence. "Yes, I know what biological means. Dad is a busy guy, but that doesn't mean he's bad. He just doesn't have a lot of time on his hands. Besides, he doesn't even know where I am; he couldn't visit even if he wanted to."

"Bud," Dillon said, gazing at him almost sadly. "Don't you think that your father would try to find out where you were if he truly cared about you?" Well, Apollo probably did know that he was at Camp Half-Blood, but Will couldn't tell Dillon that. Dillon continued. "You're better off without that guy. I don't want our relationship to be like the ones in fairy tales- this is real life and I want us to have a good father-son relation-"

"I'm not your son," Will interrupted.

"You're as good as," Dillon stated firmly. "Naomi and I are getting married on Christmas Eve. It's not going to be a big thing, but we want you and my four daughters to be there." Seeing the surprised look on Will's face, Dillon elaborated. "Your mother didn't mention? I have four daughters, who are about to become your sisters. My oldest, Colette, is two years older than you. Serena is one year older than you, Emmeline is eight, and Blair is six. You're nine, so you'd be right in the middle."

How could his mother not tell him this? It was probably because she knew that he might not have come if he knew she was-

Will's entire world came to a stop as he realized what Dillon had said. Mama was going to get married on Christmas Eve, in three days. No. No, no, no, no. She only lured him here so he could be at the wedding! Sure, she didn't have to invite him, but she never even sat down with Will and talked to him about it. This would affect him, too- he was about to find himself with a stepfather and four- four!- stepsisters. First of all, a little warning would have been nice. Secondly, he would have appreciated it if his mother had been a little more honest with him. He was sick of her half truths. She had told him she wanted him to meet someone, and that was what he had been prepared to do. Will didn't want any part in...this. But now he was here, and he couldn't go back to camp. However, he promised himself that as soon as this wedding was over, he would go back to camp and leave his mother to her new life, and hopefully she would leave him to his, because he had no interest in coming back to Tennessee. New York was his home now, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to it.

Dillon's voice cut through Will's thoughts. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you will like it with us, Will." At the time, Will didn't know to pay careful attention to the wording. "C'mon. Let's get started on the right foot. Call me dad, and I'll call you son."

Will was able to respond even though his mind was still reeling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Goldstein, but I'd really prefer it if I called you Mr. Goldstein, at least for now."

Dillon's eyes hardened. "I'm not accepting anything else, Will." he said firmly. "You will call me 'Dad' or you won't receive any meals. We're all going to be a perfect family, understood?" Dillon was obviously trying to keep his temper in check, and, although it baffled Will, he found himself hastily agreeing.

Dillon didn't relax. "Call me 'Dad.'" he instructed.

"Yes...Dad," Will said, the word sounding foreign and even just a little bit disgusting on his tongue.

Finally satisfied, Dillon turned around in his seat and started the car. "Thank you." Dillon said in a tone that clearly suggested Will was behaving irrationally. Will was confused, but he held his tongue. They pulled out of the airport and made their way to Naomi's house. Or, that's where Will thought they were going. Instead, they ended up in front of a huge, pristine house. It looked nice in the outside, but it also looked cold to Will.

"Where are we?" Will asked.

"This is my home, and it will also be yours and your mother's."

Will was confused. "What about our home?"

Dillon didn't even spare him a glance. "Naomi is selling it. You both will be moving in with me and my daughters."

Dillon turned off the engine and took the keys out of the ignition. "C'mon, Will. Hop on out of the car. I'll carry your things in for you."

"I can get them," Will insisted.

Dillon eyed him skeptically. "No, you can't. You're not strong enough."

"I carried them onto the plane." Will protested. "They're not even remotely too heavy for me, I swear."

Dillon's eyes flashed. "Lying is not tolerated in my household, Will. You are too weak to carry your own suitcases. I am much stronger than you, and I will do it for you."

Will was silent. He knew when a matter was closed.

Dillon nodded at his submissive silence. "Good." He then proceeded to take Will's things out of the trunk for him, and carried them inside. Will followed, annoyed and slightly confused.

A girl of eleven with long dark hair that fell past her shoulders in graceful waves opened the door for them. Her eyes were a pretty violet color and she had plump rose-red lips. Her features were regal, and, despite the sneer on her face, she appeared quite beautiful, even to Will, who didn't usually think much about girls' appearances.

"Colette," Dillon greeted warmly. "This is Naomi's son, Will. Remember how I said he'd be staying with us from now on?"

Colette turned to face Will. Her eyes raked up and down his body. Will felt inexplicably bare and vulnerable in front of her. She scrunched up her pretty nose and said, in obvious disgust, "Yes, Dad, I remember."

"Hi," Will said with uncertainty.

"Hello," his soon-to-be-step-sister replied unenthusiastically. She stepped aside and motioned for them to enter. Dillon placed a firm hand in between Will's shoulder blades and pushed him over the threshold of the house. Will looked around him in amazement. The entryway had beautiful dark wood floors, and directly in front of them was a grand spiral staircase stretching up toward the vaulted ceilings. The whole place screamed wealth and riches, though in Will's eyes in was a bit overdone, especially with the elegant gold chandelier hanging above them.

Will followed Dillon into what he assumed was the family room, but it was about three times as big as his and Naomi's had been. Seated on the black leather couches were his mother and four other girls.

Naomi smiled. "Hello, Will."

Will tried to smile back, but he was still feeling a little bitter. "Hello. I thought you were at a meeting?" He couldn't help adding the last part, accusation in his tone.

She readily met his gaze. "It ended much earlier than I expected."

Dillon cast a disapproving glance and a stern frown Will's way. "Don't talk to your mother like that. She didn't have to invite you to her wedding, but she did, out of the kindness of her heart."

Naomi smiled sweetly at her fiancé. "That's sweet of you to say." She put a hand to her heart, acting touched.

Will found it disgusting.

Naomi turned to the girls on the couch. "Girls, this is your new brother, Will. Will, these are your sisters, Serena-" she gestured to a girl in between Will and Colette's age with the same dark hair as Colette and green eyes. Serena regarded him coolly. "-Emmeline-" Here Naomi pointed toward an eight-year-old with, surprise, dark curly hair, blue-green eyes, and freckles across her nose. "-and Blair." Naomi gazed gently at the six-year-old and put a hand on the girl's dark locks. Blair grinned happily at Naomi, her grey-green eyes- so like her father's- shone with adoration, and it was impossible not to fall in love with her dimples.

Looking at them all, Will felt like an outcast. He must have taken after Apollo, because he looked almost nothing like his mother. She had wavy brown hair that wasn't as dark as the Goldstein's, but it was close, and emerald green eyes. Will stuck out like a sore thumb. You couldn't even tell they were related. He was the only one who was blonde haired and blue eyed. It was just about impossible for him to differ from this family any more than he already did.

"Nice to meet you," he said, trying to be polite. All he got in return was a few murmured greetings in a bored tone. Oh, he could tell he was going to love it here already.

He didn't know it at the time, but he would soon discover he hated that house and the people in it.

An awkward silence filled the room until Dillon broke it. "Well, son, I think it's time I show you to your room." Will nodded, and they started walking back toward the staircase in the front of the house.

"Will!" Naomi chastised. "Don't be lazy; you should be carrying your own luggage, not making Dillon do it for you!"

Will turned back to her and was about to respond indignantly when Dillon spoke. "No, no, Naomi. I told Will to let me carry his suitcases. He's much too weak to do it himself. He needs someone else to do it for him."

Will's mother looked placated. "Alright. I'll see you two at dinner, then?"

"Definitely." Dillon assured.

Will trailed behind Dillon as he led him to his room on the third floor. Dillon deposited his things, and instructed Will to unpack. Then he left, much to Will's relief. Unpacking didn't take long, and Will sat down carefully on the edge of his new bed. It didn't feel right; nothing in this house did. Everything looked perfect, but it all felt cold and formal, a mere guise of the ugliness beneath. He didn't like it at all and resolved to return to New York the second this wedding thing was over.

He looked around at his surroundings, and he knew that that day wouldn't come quickly enough.

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a review or PM me. I'd be only too happy to answer.